Piping for the transport of hazardous fluids has proved to involve long term risks to the surrounding environment because of underground leaks. A current example is deteriorating piping used in gasoline service stations, which with age has started to leak gasoline into the ground. In response, there is a general movement toward requiring that such piping be contained, such as by a shroud so that leakage can both be contained and detected. Direct leakage into the ground from the pipe has rarely been detected until after an unacceptable amount of liquid has leaked. This is a danger to the environment, and is an economic loss both in the cost of the lost goods, and in the cost to remove and dispose of the contaminated dirt.
The containment system consists of a coaxial tubular shroud, which outer shroud will contain any leakage. Sensors can be placed in the spacing between the inner pipe and the shroud to give notice that the pipe has leaked.
On straight runs, and even on curved runs of pipe, it is a simple matter to place the pipe inside the shroud and connect both the pipe and the shroud to next assemblies.
However, a branch of the pipe, of which a T is an example, is not amenable to such a simple arrangement, because the inner pipe branch must be fitted into an outer shroud branch. This has proved to be a matter of some complexity.
It is an object of this invention to provide a branch for a containment shroud which can readily be applied over an installed inner pipe branch and connected to adjacent runs of containment conduitry.
Labor to install piping and conduitry of this class is very costly, and the regions in which they are installed are generally cramped and inconvenient. Accordingly it is a further object of this invention to provide a shroud branch which can quickly and easily be installed, with only minimal effort and inconvenience.